Linkin Park : Minutes to Midnight

 

Linkin Parks latest album is really dissappointing. They’re previous albums all rocked, but I found Minutes to Midnight very depressing. Tracks 1 – 7 aren’t too bad but they are nowhere near as good as they’re previous albums. I don’t know if they’re trying to re-invent themselves or just trying something new, but in my opinion they were not successful. The new album makes them sound like every other rock band.

Martial Arts

I have been lucky in my experiences with martial arts. When I look back at my track record I made the journey from one end of the spectrum to the other, going from a very external style to a very internal style.

When I was young I started karate. I managed to get to blue belt before deciding that it was not for me. I didn’t like karate because there were too many Kata’s. A martial art should not need that many kata’s. I think it is inefficient and clumsy. Yes it teaches you dedication, perserverance, hardwork and all those other things but there are better ways to learn those them.

A few years after stopping Karate I began the chinese martial art called Wing Chun. This martial art I really enjoyed. The blocks and attacks were quick and direct. The forms were short and to the point. Wing Chun introduced me to chi sao. This is an exercise where , through contact with your opponent, you feel where and what your opponent is going to do and react to it. This was my first experience with this type of technique and would not be my last.

Whilst doing Wing chun, the school I was at also began teaching Muay Thai boxing and San shou ( a type of free fighting ). Muay Thai is a very aggressive style incorporating elbows and knees.

After doing this for 5 years I decided to quit, due to certain circumstances and took up Tai Chi. From the first class till today I am hook on Tai Chi. One of the reasons I continued with Tai Chi was because of the teacher. His teaching style was like nothing I’d ever seen or expected. His teaching style was very informal and relaxed. Allowing for discussions which sometimes would take up 3/4 of the class time.

Tai Chi is such a wonderful and rich martial art. When new people come to our school, about 99% of them leave after the third class. People seem to have this idea that because Tai Chi is supposed to be the ultimate martial art that it will be a grand experience from the very beginning. I like to think that it is not the ultimate martial art only because you can defeat anybody that comes your way. I like to think that it’s mainly because of the health benefits that it brings just by practicing it twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening. In Tai Chi you have to work for every millimeter of progress. And people generally don’t like to have to work that hard. I have had the honour and the priviledge of studying under my teacher’s teacher. In this modern age he is the closest thing to a true master that I have ever encountered. When I first met him he had this aura that felt like it would crush you like a coke can. He filled a room when he walked in and left a lasting impression when he left. And with all this he is still a humble man.

I have began a blog on the school that I am still attending. The schools name is Jing Qi Shen and the blog name is also jingqishen.wordpress.com.

Robotech

For those of you who know what robotech is I would recommend getting these new digitally remastered editions. I saw this series when it came out on tv and this new remastered edition is everything I remember robotech being. Only with these editions the sound effects have been updated.